INDIAN  MISSIONS 


Obligations  and 
Opportunities 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Missions 
Home  Missions  Council 
January,  1919 


Reprinted  from  the  Report  of  the  Twelfth  Annual  Meeting 
of  the  Home  Missions  Council,  January  14-16,  1919 


156  Fifth  Avenue 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/indianmissionsobOOhome 


Indian  Missions 
Obligations  and  Opportunities 


Report  of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Missions  Presented  at 
the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Home  Missions  Council, 
January,  1919. 


The  momentous  events  of  war  and  of  restored  peace  have 
not  left  the  American  Indians  out  of  the  stream  of  influence 
and  of  patriotic  service,  although  the  native  American  race 
has  not  assumed  national  prominence  in  the  great  conflict. 
In  proportion  to  the  total  population  the  Indians  have  done 
more  than  their  share,  both  in  voluntary  enlistments,  in 
valorous  service  and  in  response  to  financial  and  food-saving 
demands  of  the  Government.  Three-fourths  of  the  red  men 
who  have  served  in  army  and  navy  have  been  volunteers. 
Two  of  the  majors  of  the  army  and  every  rank  below  this 
grade  and  every  line  of  activity  of  privates  have  represented 
the  Indians  among  the  8,000  estimated  to  be  in  service.  This 
is  a striking  and  unmistakable  sign  of  the  transformation  of 
old  Indian  hostility  and  aloofness  and  isolation  from  national 
affairs  and  an  evidence  that  patriotism  has  been  intense  and 
the  response  to  the  call  of  countr}"  has  been  spontaneous 
from  this  younger  generation  of  the  red  men. 

The  close  of  the  war  will  see  the  status  and  conditions  of 
the  Indians  greatly  improved  we  may  confidently  believe. 
A grateful  government  and  people  will  not  now  withhold 
from  them  their  rights  as  free  men  under  the  constitution. 
The  experience,  military  drill  and  discipline,  the  travel  and 
association  with  other  men  on  terms  of  equality  will  be  in- 
valuable to  them.  Their  outlook  will  be  enlarged,  their 
understanding  of  their  white  brothers  will  be  made  more 
just  and  appreciative,  their  knowledge  of  histofy  and  the 
world  vastly  broadened. 

A review  of  the  past  year  in  Indian  Mission  interests  gives 
renewed  cause  for  gratitude  and  hope.  Progress  has  been 
made  along  the  lines  approved  by  the  Home  Missions  Coun- 
cil in  relation  to  overlapping  and  overlooking  on  the  Indian 


fields.  It  is  gratifying  to  report  that  each  of  the  six 
instances  of  supposed  lack  of  comity  or  of  efficiency  in  the 
division  of  field  has  been  investigated. 

The  Presbyterian  (U.  S.  A.)  Board  will  not  commission  a 
resident  missionary  for  the  Stockbridge  Mission  field  in  Wis- 
consin for  the  present,  and  opportunity  will  thus  be  afforded 
to  determine  whether  the  Lutheran  Church  will  adequately 
provide  for  these  Indians.  A visit  by  the  representative  of 
the  Home  Missions  Council  to  the  Arapahoe  Wyoming  field 
revealed  the  fact  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  and  Presby- 
terian (U.  S.  A.)  missions  are  located  quite  a distance  apart, 
and  that  the  Presbyterian  work  should  include  a large 
number  of  families  of  whites  and  lessees  of  Indian  lands, 
so  that  the  excellent  church  and  mission  buildings  at 
Arapahoe  can  be  advantageously  used  without  in  any  way 
duplicating  the  effort  of  the  Episcopal  Mission.  It  appears 
that  on  this  field  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  also 
doing  some  Sunday  school  w'ork  and  negotiations  are  under 
way  to  reach  an  understanding  with  this  denomination. 

The  instance  of  the  Nez  Perce  fields  of  Idaho  does  not 
call  for  any  further  special  attention,  as  it  is  believed  among 
the  workers  among  these  Indians  that  two  denominations  on 
the  field  will  be  adjusted  naturally  to  the  existing  conditions 
and  this  Christian  tribe  will  receive  thorough  nurture  in  the 
faith.  Among  the  Iroquois  in  New  York  State  careful 
investigation  has  been  made  by  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society,  and  the  apparent  overlapping  and  un- 
necessary expenditure  of  missionary^  effort  and  money, 
particularly  on  the  Cattaraugus  Reservation,  is  being  ad- 
justed by  interdenominational  conference  and  reciprocal  ex- 
change. This  leaves  only  two  cases  of  possible  lack  of 
comity  for  which  we  could  wish  further  negotiations  and 
re-adjustment.  We  commend  to  the  churches  at  work  on 
these  two  fields,  namely  the  Winnebago  of  Nebraska,  and  the 
Arrikara  of  North  Dakota,  that  further  efforts  be  made  to 
leave  each  of  these  fields  to  a single  denomination.  This  will 
exemplify  the  spirit  of  our  common  Christianity  and  will 
make  the  American  Indian  mission  work  an  example  of 
perfect  comity  and  fraternal  co-operation,  which  will  be  a 
testimony  for  the  faith  and  a realization  of  the  “unity  of  the 
spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace.” 

Regarding  the  neglected  Indians,  reports  have  been  re- 
ceived from  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church  Ex- 
tension of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which  sent  out 


Rev.  E.  E.  Higley  to  ascertain  the  exact  needs  on  some  of 
the  fields  assigned  to  that  church.  The  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Board  has  increased  its  Indian  Missions,  and 
the  Presbyterian  (U.  S.  A.)  Board  of  Home  Missions  has 
provided  an  appropriation  for  its  resident  missionary  at 
Browning,  Montana,  for  a part  of  the  neglected  Blackfeet 
Indians,  and  will  arrange  for  two  other  small  bands  which 
were  assigned  to  it  in  Washington  and  Arizona.  The  neglected 
Pueblos  of  New  Mexico  and  the  scattered  Indians  of 
Northern  California  are  still  most  urgently  requiring  evan- 
gelical church  effort. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  need  of  continuing  the  investiga- 
tion and  gathering  of  detailed  information  regarding  the 
Indians  who  are  without  resident  missionaries  or  church 
privileges.  Certainly  a gratifying  advance  has  been  made 
in  the  last  few  years  in  reaching  the  long  neglected  pagans 
of  the  native  American  race. 

Our  eyes  are  directed  now  to  the  millions  of  the  native 
stocks  in  densest  paganism  in  Mexico,  Central  and  South 
-America,  to  whom  our  Indian  converts  to  the  Christian  faith 
in  the  United  States  should  become  missionaries  in  the 
course  of  the  years. 

A Committee  on  Religious  Work  in  Indian  schools,  com- 
posed of  the  members  of  the  Home  Missions  Council  and 
the  Council  of  Women  for  Home  Missions,  was  appointed 
several  years  ago.  The  work  in  both  government  and  mis- 
sion schools  was  especially  commended  to  the  attention  of 
these  institutions.  We  commend  again  the  need  of  larger 
attention  to  this  religious  educational  problem  in  order  that 
the  Indian  schools  of  the  country  may  be  cared  for  re- 
ligiously in  a more  adequate  way  and  the  large  privileges 
which  the  Office  of  Indian  Affairs  affords  to  all  of  the 
churches  may  be  utilized  more  effectively. 

The  Hayden  Bill  to  suppress  the  liquor  and  peyote  evils 
has  been  favorably  acted  upon  by  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives and  has  been  referred  to  the  Indian  Committee  of  the 
Senate,  Hon.  Henry  F.  Ashurst,  Chairman.  The  prospect  is 
brighter  than  ever  before,  that  the  bill,  which  has  the 
approval  of  the  Indian  Office,  may  be  passed.  Letters  to 
-Senators,  advocating  the  passage  of  the  bill  introduced  by 
Congressman  Hayden,  are  very  much  needed  at  the  present 
time.  The  Indian  Rights  Association  and  the  Society  of 
American  Indians  are  waging  a vigorous  campaign  in  behalf 
of  this  legislation. 


The  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  the  Hon.  Cato  Sells, 
in  his  Annual  Report  recently  from  the  press,  has  again 
expressed  the  estimation  in  which  the  missionary  servdce  of 
the  churches  is  held  by  his  office.  He  states : 

“The  events  and  experiences  of  the  year  have  deepened 
my  appreciation  of  the  earnest  labors  and  helpful  co-operation 
of  missionaries  at  large  and  throughout  the  field.  The 
period  has  been  one  of  unusual  affiliation  in  purpose  and 
methods  of  work  among  all  agencies,  both  individual  and 
organized,  for  the  spiritual  and  moral  betterment  of  the 
Indians,  and  has  reflected  the  broad  fraternity  of  aim  and 
effort  so  clearly  developed  by  the  great  unity  of  our 
American  cause  in  the  relief  of  war-stricken  nations.  I am 
sincerely  grateful  for  all  that  has  been  achieved  through 
individual  philanthropy  and  denominational  endeavor.” 

This  attitude  of  the  Honorable  Commissioner  is  very 
gratifying  and  the  reciprocal  relations  between  governmental 
and  mission  representatives  should  be  cultivated  in  the 
spirit  of  good  will  and  mutual  service. 

It  is  with  regret  that  a serious  defect  in  the  federal  ad- 
ministration of  Indian  affairs  again  requires  protest.  The 
Indian  Office  is  still  failing  in  its  policies  relating  to  sectarian 
schools,  not  only  having  neglected  to  expend  the  $300,000 
voted  by  Congress  for  Indian  school  buildings,  but  having 
agreed  to  new  contracts  for  sectarian  schools  including  one 
for  pupils  on  the  Wind  River  Reservation,  Wyoming,  upon 
application  of  the  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Action 
of  the  Home  Missions  Council  in  relation  to  this  un- 
American  practice  and  an  approach  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  again  protesting  against  this  administrative  policy 
are  suggested. 

A statement  of  the  larger  interests  of  the  Indian  mission 
work,  of  our  united  Protestant  forces  may  be  timely,  and 
serve  a definite  purpose  at  this  juncture.  A comprehensive 
program  and  method  of  service,  viewing  the  interests  of 
the  cause  in  the  large,  seem  to  be  called  or. 

1.  As  the  Indians  of  our  country  are  still  to  a very  con- 
siderable number  in  a rather  primitive  state,  without  a 
written  or  printed  native  language  and  unfamiliar  with 
English,  evangelization  and  individual  effort  in  their  behalf 
are  urgent.  Our  latest  estimate  indicates  that  over  47,000 
Indians  in  eighteen  states  are  at  the  present  time  unsupplied 
with  religious  oversight  and  Christian  instruction.  The 


action  of  the  Home  Missions  Council  in  assigning  these 
tribes  and  commuities  to  denominational  care,  is  full  of 
promise  if  this  obligation  is  taken  seriously  and  efforts  made 
without  delay  to  remedy  this  long  time  neglect.  As  Dr. 
Arnup  of  Canada  has  so  forcibly  stated ; 

“This  is  work  which  must  be  done.  Whatever  we  may  do 
in  measuring  ourselves  and  our  resources  against  the  world 
need— and  the  present  opportunity  abroad,  this  primary  obli- 
gation must  be  discharged.  Obligation  rather  than  oppor- 
tunity constitutes  the  church’s  call  to  evangelize  the  Indian 
in  the  fullest  meaning  of  the  word.” 

2.  The  educational  work  for  the  children  and  youth  of  the 
Indians  does  not  devolve  wholly  upon  the  Government,  and 
more  and  more  our  Christian  leaders  of  experience  and  the 
chairman  of  committees  of  various  denominations  are 
realizing  that  the  educational  work  must  go  hand-in-hand 
with  evangelization.  Examples  of  very  successful  schools, 
to  mention  only  a few,  are  Bacone  College  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Oklahoma;  the  Winnebago  School  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  and  Santee  Institute  of  the  Congregational 
Church  in  Nebraska;  and  the  Tucson  Training  School  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Arizona.  It  is  not  to  be  forgotten 
that  the  Roman  Catholics  have  numerous  boarding  schools  in 
which  thousands  of  Indian  young  people  are  being  trained 
for  their  church. 

A few  missions  have  been  very  successful  in  having  normal 
Bible  study,  Christian  Endeavor  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.  conven- 
tions and  institutes  which  have  been  educational  forces  along 
religious  lines.  If  the  funds  available  will  not  admit  of  a 
larger  number  of  schools  conducted  by  the  denominations, 
the  method  should  be  adopted  of  utilizing  all  of  these  op- 
portunities for  institutes,  conventions  and  young  peoples 
societies  as  well  as  the  strengthening  of  the  Sunday  schools. 
It  appears  that  approximately  one-third  of  the  Indian 
churches  have  no  Sunday  schools.  This  defect  should  be 
remedied. 

In  the  federal  and  public  schools  there  is  a total  of 
58,000  pupils.  The  opportunity  for  religious  instruction  in 
these  schools  is  within  reach  of  the  missionaries,  and  the 
assignment  of  the  schools  to  denominations  that  can  best 
care  for  the  pupils  in  individual  communities  is  an  urgent 
need  at  the  present  time.  The  constituent  Boards  of  the 
Home  Missions  Council  have  now  been  asked  to  indicate 


whether  they  will  give  religious  instruction  in  the  Govern- 
ment Indian  Schools  within  whose  bounds  they  have  resident 
ministers. 

3.  Community  and  social  service  and  institutional  church 
efforts  should  be  organized  to  a greater  extent.  The  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church  for  years  conducted  a very 
successful  broom  factor)'  among  the  Apache  Indians  of 
Oklahoma.  The  glazing  of  native  potter)'  to  make  it  of 
commercial  value,  and  the  instruction  in  lace-making  have 
been  successfully  accomplished  on  a number  of  fields.  On 
the  Navajo  Reservation  with  its  31,000  Indians,  corn  grind- 
ing mills  and  wool  scouring  centres  could  be  established 
greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  Indians.  The  missionaries 
can  co-operate  with  the  federal  and  local  forces  to  suppress 
liquor,  peyote  or  mescal,  tiswin  and  other  evils  that  de- 
vastate reserv'ation  life.  Christian  physicians,  Bible  readers 
and  field  matrons  are  forces  for  community  and  tribal 
uplift  in  lines  of  service  where  Indian  conditions  present 
an  appalling  need.  One  Protestant  medical  missionary  vac- 
cinated 800  primitive  and  pagan  Indians,  treating  60  small- 
pox cases  without  a loss  of  one  patient,  within  a period  of 
a month  last  winter  on  the  Navajo  Reservation. 

The  strongest  ministry  for  returned  students  is  urged. 
These  educated  young  people  come  back  to  the  reservation 
demanding  a higher  type  of  church  service  than  prevails 
among  the  illiterate  adult  Indians.  They  are  often  ready  for 
Christian  service,  but  they  return  to  congregations  in  which 
there  are  no  Sunday  school  teachers,  no  opportunities  to 
serve  as  trustees,  church  treasurers  or  ushers,  and  often  no 
students’  clubs  or  young  people’s  societies.  A quickening  of 
interest  and  of  practical  methods  for  reaching  and  holding  the 
educated  young  people  is  called  for  more  than  ever  at  the 
present  time. 

4.  A broad  and  comprehensive  service  for  our  united 
Protestant  interests  among  the  Indians  is  of  very  great 
importance.  There  is  no  mission  work  in  the  land  so  closely 
related  to  governmental  affairs  and  requiring  such  representa- 
tion at  Washington,  D.  C.  We  will  suffer  untold  loss  if  the 
opportunities  are  not  seized  and  our  interests  followed  up  by 
constant  oversight  and  conference  with  the  officials  of  the 
Interior  Department.  Any  comprehensive  and  statesman- 
like treatment  of  Protestant  Indian  interests  calls  for  a 
constant  recognition  of  government  relations.  This  is  a 
strategic  hour  in  Indian  life  and  progress.  The  Protestant 


churches  that  have  done  so  much  in  the  past  for  Indian 
uplift  are  faced  with  a new  opportunity,  and  are  able  to 
measure  up  to  larger  responsibilities  and  finer  methods  of 
service.  A very  large  number  of  Indians  have  entered  the 
army  and  navy,  and  ere  long  will  return  with  new  vision 
and  energ}'.  The  church  needs  to  be  up-to-date  and  forward- 
looking  in  its  comprehensive  program  and  broad  methods  of 
community  and  social  service  in  the  name  of  Christ.  We 
plead  for  a new  binding  together  of  our  Protestant  Mission 
forces  and  a systematic,  alert  development  of  this  enterprise 
of  making  the  native  American  race  Christian  through  and 
through. 

The  Committee  on  Indian  Missions  submits  the  following 
recommendations : 

1.  In  view  of  the  large  opportunities  for  religious  work 
in  the  government  Indian  boarding  and  day  schools,  it  is 
recommended  that  a committee  composed  of  members  of 
the  Home  Missions  Council  and  the  Council  of  Women  for 
Home  Missions  be  appointed  to  systematically  outline  re- 
ligious work  in  government  and  also  mission  schools  and  the 
assignment  to  denominational  oversight  of  all  educational 
institutions  not  receiving  proper  care. 

2.  In  view  of  the  dire  evils  of  the  peyote  habit  and  the 
mescal  cult  as  revealed  particularly  by  the  hearing  before 
the  Sub-committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  Februar>% 
1918,  it  is  recommended  that  the  Council  importune  the 
Department  of  the  Interior  to  take  administrative  action,  so 
far  as  this  is  possible,  pending  legislative  action,  to  curtail 
the  evils  of  the  peyote  traffic  and  habit  and  to  suppress  the 
importation  of  the  peyote  into  reservations  as  a menace  to 
the  health  and  morals  of  the  Indians.  The  Home  Missions 
Council  again  goes  on  record  as  urging  legislative  action  as 
embodied  in  the  Hayden  Bill  now  in  the  hands  of  the 
Judicial  Committee  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  and 
expresses  gratification  at  the  favorable  action  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  on  this  measure. 

3.  The  churches  and  missionaries  are  urged  to  hold  the 
standard  high  among  the  Indians  on  all  moral  and  ethical 
questions,  such  as  are  involved  in  the  peyote  habit  and  the 
mescal  worship,  dealing  firmly  but  kindly  with  the  Indians 
who  have  been  led  astray  from  Christian  obligations  by  this 
insidious  evil  and  perverted  form  of  worship. 


4.  VVe  again  record  our  determined  opposition  to  the 
administrative  policy  and  the  legislation  which  continue  the 
sectarian  contract  schools,  not  under  civil  service  regula- 
tions or  regular  inspection  of  the  federal  office,  but  provided 
for  from  public  funds.  In  view  of  the  removal  of  restric- 
tions on  building  operations  since  the  armistice  has  been  de- 
clared and  permanent  peace  is  in  prospect,  we  renew  the 
urgent  request  to  the  Office  of  Indian  Affairs,  to  expend 
the  $300,000  appropriated  by  Congress  for  Indian  school 
buildings,  thus  removing  the  supposed  necessity  for  con- 
tracting for  sectarian  schols,  particularly  in  the  Dakota 
Country. 

5.  We  recommend  that  the  Missionaries  and  National 
Boards  investigate  the  defect  in  the  Sunday  school  organiza- 
tions in  connection  with  Indian  Missions  and  systematically 
provide  for  better  instruction  for  the  youth  and  children  of 
Protestant  Indian  families  and  the  unchurched  Indians  of  our 
Country. 

6.  In  view  of  the  record  made  by  the  Indians  in  evety'^  line 
of  patriotic  service  and  loyalty  to  their  countiy%  we  urge 
that  citizenship  be  bestowed  more  rapidly  upon  the  members 
of  this  native  American  race  and  that  their  civil  status  be 
determined  as  the  National  Society  of  American  Indians 
and  other  organizations  have  petitioned. 

( Signed) 

Thomas  C.  Moffett. 

M'm.  T.  Demarest. 

Rodney  W.  Roundy. 

Henry  Beets. 

Lemuel  C.  Barnes. 


The  Report  was  received  and  the  recommendations  adopted, 
with  the  exception  of  the  first  recommendation,  for  which 
the  following  was  substituted  ; 

1.  It  is  recommended  that  a Joint  Central  Committee  on 
Indian  work  be  created ; to  be  composed  of  three  members  of 
the  Home  Missions  Council,  to  be  selected  from  the  Com- 
mittee on  Indian  Affairs,  three  of  the  Council  of  \\'omen  for 
Home  Missions  ami  one  each  from  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the 
Y.  W.  C.  A.;  this  Joint  Central  Committee  to  l>e  charged 
with  the  following  lines  of  service : 


(a)  To  co-ordinate  as  far  as  possible  all  Christian  agen- 
cies working  for  the  Indians. 

(b)  To  conduct  special  studies  of  the  need  and  results 
of  religious  education  in  schools,  federal,  public  and  mis- 
sion. 

(c)  To  take  steps  in  systematically  outlining  religious 
work  in  these  institutions,  in  formulating  courses  of  re- 
ligious education  and  in  assigning  definitely  for  religious 
oversight  all  institutions  not  receiving  proper  attention. 

(d)  At  as  early  a date  as  possible  to  call  a representa- 
tive Conference  on  the  united  Christian  program  for  the 
Indian  people. 


Pursuant  to  the  foregoing  action  the  following  Joint  Central 
Committee  has  been  appointed ; 

Representing  the  Home  Missions  Council,  Rev.  R.  W. 
Roundy,  E.  M.  Wistar,  and  Rev.  E.  L.  Mills. 

Representing  the  Council  of  Women  for  Home  Missions, 
Mrs.  Katherine  S.  Westfall,  Mrs.  Tabor  Knox,  and  Miss 
Edna  R.  Voss. 

Representing  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  Miss  Edith  M.  Dabb. 

Representing  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Rev.  G.  Elmer  E.  Lindquist. 

To  this  committee  there  have  been  added  by  invitation, 
Rev.  Thomas  C.  Moffett  and  Rev.  Francis  S.  White. 


Correspondence  may  be  addressed  to  the  Executive  Secre- 
tary, Alfred  Wms.  Anthony,  156  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York  City. 


